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What is an abandoned project?

Really there are two types of abandoned projects. There are ones that we've marked as abandoned, and there are ones that are abandoned in practice but not in name.

We give projects a long time, a very long time, before we mark them as abandoned. So these types are considered essentially dead. However, they can be resurrected.

The second category of abandoned projects are those that just haven't been updated in a long time, the project leader seem to be MIA, and/or the project is slowly fading due to bitrot. Projects in the state seemed destined to be labeled as abandoned, however there is hope still.

Resurrecting one of your projects that's been labeled as abandoned, a how-to

This is simple. Assuming a project you are an author of has been marked as abandoned all you have to do to resurrect it to update it. This will automatically flag the project as a normal project and you're back in the game.

The project lead has dropped off the face of the planet, what to do

Well there are a few different options here. But generally you should follow the proceedure for claiming an abandoned project which is outlined on this page.

I want to take over an abandoned project from someone else, what do I do?

This is possible, on a case by case basis.

Before you bring us into it you should attempt to contact the author directly. This is by far the most preferred method. Also, you shouldn't try to take over a project that you've not done anything with yet. So please if you're trying to take over a project that you're not an author on, start maintenance in a clone.

If contacting the project leader fails(by fail I mean that he didn't respond, not that they said no) please follow these steps:

1. Report the project.

This report should contain references to your attempts to contact the author and any work you've done on the project until this point.

2. Wait.

We will examine the request on a case by case basis. We will examine the situation including the following: